We use safe, reliable, government-licensed vehicles (e.g. mini-vans), not a dubiously-maintained family car or taxi.

We use professional drivers, not a “friend” making some extra money.

We save time by taking the direct routes, even if there are charges (rather than navigating back roads trying to avoid tolls).

With us, there are NO “forced shopping” stops !

There are NO hidden costs ! (e.g. fuel surcharge)

We are proud of our Wall. We want YOU to become an ambassador of Great Wall hiking too!

We not only want our customers to return – we want them to tell their friends!

Join us for a real Great Wall trekking tour – this non-stop trek from the ocean to Beijing will allow you to experience the Wall up-close and personal!

See amazing vistas that can only be seen by trekking! Great photos!

Explore a section of the Great Wall which typifies the entire Wall in architecture, scenery, ruggedness, and military importance

No camping! Accommodation en route will be a combination of small hotels and local families’ guest houses, with clean rooms and showers

No cooking required (meals provided)

Separate transportation of all equipment and luggage by support vehicle

Airport pickup and optional drop-off; first and last night in comfortable 4-star hotel; pre- and post-tour extensions available (optional)

TRIP OVERVIEW:

The Great Wall is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is classified as a World Heritage site. Trekking at length along the Great Wall is substantially different than simply making the customary short visit. On the one hand, you will be physically challenged; on the other hand, you will obtain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Chinese history and culture. To have the opportunity to trek on the Wall along much of its length is the experience of a lifetime. Join us! You will see the “real” China!

DAY-BY-DAY DETAILED ITINERARY:
(B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)

Day 1 Arrive in Beijing
A CnAdventure representative will meet you at the airport and will transfer you to a 4-star hotel (e.g. Jade Garden Hotel or similar) in the downtown area. He/she will give you a briefing of the schedule of the next few days, and will answer questions. Rest of day at leisure to shop or relax. Dinner on your own.

Day 2 Beijing - Old Dragon’s Head – Shanhaiguan Great Wall (BLD) After an early breakfast we will have a four-hour drive on good roads from Beijing to Old Dragon’s Head, over 400km away. After lunch, we will visit the Old Dragon's Head fortifications, where the Wall meets the sea, and which is considered the easternmost point of the Great Wall. After our visit, we will hike from Old Dragon's Head directly to Shanhaiguan Pass (also known as the First Pass Under Heaven). This pleasant hike of 1- 1½ hours will take us through some small villages until we see the Gate Towers of the Shanhaiguan Pass Fortress, far away. A short drive will take us to the Fortress itself. After a one-hour's visit of the Fortress and the Great Wall Museum inside, we will be transferred to the First Pass Hotel (a simple but clean courtyard hotel with private washroom and hot showers) for our first overnight stay near the Wall.

Day 3 Shanhaiguan- #1 Great Wall village (BLD; 12 km, 6-7 hrs) Refreshed after a good sleep, a short drive will take us to our Great Wall trekking adventure starting point. We will trek from the bottom of a Mountain and hike to #1 Great Wall Village. Then drive to a small village, where we will have the unique experience of staying in a local family’s guest-house, very simple but clean (furnished with “kang” beds, common in northern China). Although washrooms are outside, they still have hot water for showers.

Day 4 #2 Great Wall village - 3# Great Wall village (BLD; 10 km, trekking 5-6 hrs)This is a special day! In the early morning, we will take a short hike up the mountain from the #2 village to see the Cihou Tower, a special structure that is only seen at this portion of the Great Wall. Although this section is relatively short, with a length of only 8.9 km, it has remained one of the best-preserved sections of the original Ming Dynasty Wall, built more than 600 years ago. Then we will return to the village to visit the ruins of the fortress and to chat with the villagers, who are the descendants of the builders and guards of the Great Wall. Then trek to #3 Great Wall village. At the end of our trek, we will start our long 4-hour drive to the site of the East Qing Tombs, where we will stay in a nice hotel nearby (two beds per room, with private washroom).

Day 5 East QingTomb-Huangyaguan Section Great Wall (BLD; 1 ½ hrs) This morning, we will visit the East Qing tombs, which far-surpass their more famous predecessors, the Ming Tombs, both in splendor and in majesty. These tombs form a countryside version of the Forbidden City and are nearly as elaborate. Tastefully restored for the most part, this Imperial City is vast, grand, and less crowded. After lunch, a half-an-hour-drive will bring us to a small village near Huangyaguan Pass. From here, we will hike for about one hour-and-a-half, westward, to Huangyaguan. Overnight at the courtyard hotel in Huangyaguan (two beds per room, with private washroom).

Day 6 Huangyaguan – a small mountain village (BLD, 8 km, about 4-5 hours trekking)
Huangyaguan is situated in a beautiful valley in the heart of the Yanshan Mountains. We will start our trek heading towards what appears to be a sheer cliff face. This is where we encounter "Heaven’s Ladder", a series of over 200 renovated steps carved into the precipice, climbing steeply upwards toward a breath-taking section of the Great Wall. Once we have caught our breath at the top, the path continues along the ridge. We will trek alongside the Wall until it gradually descends to the valley below. Overnight within a small mountain village, at a farmer’s house (clean, with hot shower, although no private washroom in the room).

Day 7 Small mountain Village –Simatai Great Wall(BLD; trekking 4-5 hrs)
Westward, beyond the village where we slept the previous night, the wall snakes its way across a wild and sweeping landscape steeped in history. Early in the morning, we will take a steep trail leading across a farmer’s field and up to the Wall where Heibei province, Tianjin City, and Beijing meet together. From this point, hiking is easy as we make our way westward along the Wall, until we reach a village where our vehicle will be waiting to drive us to Simatai (about 3 hours). Our overnight will be in the comfortable hostel at the bottom of Simatai (two persons per room, with private washroom).

Day 8 Simatai-Jinshanling Great Wall (BLD; 10 km, trekking 4-5 hrs)Today we will bypass the reconstructed section of Simatai, and instead will trek westward on the “wild wall”, enjoying a picnic lunch along the way, until we arrive at the Jinshanling Section of the Wall. Although we usually stay at a comfortable hotel at the bottom of the Wall, we may choose to camp overnight on the Wall itself. Although camping allows us to enjoy the beautiful sunset over the Wall, most hikers fall asleep before the clear night sky displays its nightly spectacle of stars.

Day 9 Jinshanling-Gubeikou Great Wall (BLD; 10 km, trekking 5 hrs)
Today's trekking is easy because the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall is still kept well, and the terrain is gently undulating. On the way westward toward our destination point, the General Tower of historic Gubeikou, we will have to follow a country road a short distance, in order to make a detour around a restricted military area, after which we will continue. At the end of the trek, we will drive to the small village of Jiankou. Stay in a local family’s guest house (twin-share, with private washroom)

Day 10 Jiankou Great Wall-Mutianyu Great Wall(BLD; 10 km; trekking 4-5 hrs)
Today’s hike is for pictures! The Jiankou section of the Great Wall is known to be one of the most-beautiful parts of the “wild” Wall near Beijing, regularly-frequented by aspiring photographers. Because some parts of this section of the Wall are really rough and broken, each hiker must be very careful when walking on it. We will have lunch at a restaurant near Mutianyu, famous for its delicious fish, then drive back to Beijing in the afternoon. This evening we will celebrate our adventure on the Great Wall with a gala dinner. Overnight stay at a nice 4-star hotel (e.g. Jade Garden Hotel, or similar)

Day 11 Free time in Beijing
Today is left free to relax after completing a great adventure hiking trip! Or you could choose to take a Tours in Beijing. Overnight in the same hotel.

Day 12 Beijing-Home
Transfer to the airport for the flight home. End of Tour.

($1=6.3CNY)(The cost for the child of 2-12 year old is based on 15 % discount of the adult's tour cost.Any baby less than 2 year old is free of any charges. If it turns out there is cost involved, we reserved to collect the cost.)

As the exchange rate of CNY to USD is floating, we reserve the right to adjust the quote in USD according to the exchange rate on the date you pay the tour.

The tour cost includes:

Local transportation: A private vehicle (land cruiser in the desert, bus or mini-van elsewhere) will accompany us for the entire tour. While we are trekking, our vehicle will transfer our food and luggage to the appointed site or hostel and wait.

Equipment, as required: tents and mats for sleeping bags when camping, rope (very necessary in some parts of the Wall), water (4 liters per person per day), 2-way radios, compass , first aid kit, GPS

Leader: Experienced English-speaking tour leader and one or more service persons along the Wall as needed.

Entrance fees: All first-entrance tickets to the tourist spots mentioned in the itinerary.

Accommodation: 4-star hotels in the big cities, twin and tri-share clean hostel in the small counties or villages, occasionally private home if indicated, and tents in the desert and at certain unique camping spots mentioned in the itinerary.

Meals: All meals as indicated in the itinerary, with some simple picnic lunches while trekking on the Wall.

Common carrier tickets: All domestic airfares and train tickets (soft sleeper) as listed in the itinerary, if applicable

Tourist accident insurance. NB - you are strongly suggested to buy travel and health insurance before you start out from your home country.

Any service persons to carry personal belonging while trekking (although this can be arranged, it should be unnecessary - participants should find that trekking with a single day-pack for personal items should suffice.)

Single supplement costs (for those who want accommodation on a single basis)

Visa to China

Domestic and international flights and related airport taxes not listed in the itinerary

Supplementary trips, entrance fees and services not mentioned, and extra costs due to unforeseen circumstances

What makes our hikes different from the others ?

Our tours are private – no delays picking up other tourists from various hotels around the city. We pick up, then go!

Your English-speaking guide stays with you the entire trip (including the hiking).